Israel reported that 36 iregular migrants had been intercepted trying to enter Israel from its southern border with Egypt in 2013 in comparison to over 10,000 intercepted in 2012, 17,000 in 2011 and nearly 15,000 in 2010. Mass migrant/asylum seeker protests were reported in December 2013 and January 2014 bemoaning a 1 year detention law and agitating for the adjudication of asylum and protection claims by migrants/asylum seekers.

So far this year, over 60,000 people (UNHCR) have attempted the perilous journey from the Horn of Africa, across the sea into Yemen, often in a bid to make it to the Gulf States. The driving factor is poverty with the belief that there are good work opportunities awaiting them - but many end up in illegal smuggler camps.

SANA'A, Yemen, November 13 (UNHCR) – A regional conference on asylum and migration from the Horn of Africa to Yemen wrapped up today with agreement on urgent international action to better manage mixed migration while boosting support for countries of origin and host nations.

This is a summary of what was said by the UNHCR spokesperson at today’s Palais des Nations press briefing in Geneva.

In Yemen, UNHCR has recorded more than 62,000 sea arrivals so far this year (Jan 1 to Oct 31). We remain concerned about the very high numbers of people who are risking their lives by making this perilous journey from the Horn of Africa.

 24 out of the 27 schools that were closed due to armed fighting in two districts of Amran Governorate in the north have now been re-opened and cleared of internally displaced (IDP) families, impacting 6,406 children (4,184 boys, 2,222 girls).

 An estimated 1,060,000 children under 5 are suffering from acute malnutrition in Yemen according to needs analysis conducted in preparation for 2014, while 7 priority areas have been identified for child protection work.

Substantial needs persist in Yemen. At 43 per cent, food insecurity rates remain largely unchanged, despite localized deteriorations in Abyan and Shabwah. Flash floods since August affected over 52,000 people in 26 districts, underscoring continued vulnerability to natural disasters. Meanwhile, tribal clashes have further narrowed humanitarian space in the north, where over 250,000 people remain displaced.

Torrential rains inundated several governorates in mid-August, disrupting the livelihoods of more than 20,000 people in eight governorates. Nearly 40 people died, including 18 in a wedding convoy that was washed away in Taizz. Several others are still missing. Humanitarian partners are responding to the needs of those affected, but many of these partners are still under-funded. Currently, the 2013 YHRP is only 44 per cent funded. In the north, continuing tensions in Dammaj remain a concern. The area is inaccessible so humanitarian partners are unable to verify the situation.

· Heavy rains and floods have affected 23,566 people, killed nearly 40 and damaged shelters and livelihoods
· Fears that an escalation of tensions in Dammaj could lead to civilian displacements
· 13 humanitarian workers were kidnapped between January 2012 and May 2013, placing Yemen among the five countries with most kidnappings of aid workers
· 31.5 per cent of school age children are not in class
· The 2013 polio immunization campaign averaged 97 per cent coverage nationwide

16/8/2013 – In search of a better life around half a million migrants, many of them from the Horn of Africa are estimated to be stranded in Yemen. With the help of smugglers they cross the sea in a perilous journey hoping to reach one of the wealthy Gulf countries once they land in Yemen. But on Yemen’s shores they remain in the hands of smugglers and their stories take a very different turn:

GENEVA, August 6 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency on Tuesday said it was concerned by the growing number of people risking their lives to reach Yemen by boat from Africa after recording the arrival on the Yemeni coast of more than 46,000 refugees and migrants during the first six months of this year.

The Ethiopian teenager survived a treacherous boat journey being smuggled across the Red Sea. But on reaching Yemen, she was kidnapped and driven at gunpoint to a mud brick house. She said: "They tortured other girls in front of me. They beat us and they raped us at gunpoint. I was terrified."

She is one of 80,000 Ethiopian migrants who undertake this dangerous journey every year.

210 unaccompanied migrant children, including 8 girls, were returned to Ethiopia; amongst them were 50 boys who had been cared for in the Child Protection Centre supported by UNICEF with Intersos and MoSAL in Haradh District in the northern governorate of Hajjah. UNICEF Yemen coordinated closely with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNICEF Ethiopia on the return of the children, who are now in Addis Ababa receiving psychosocial support and other services supported by UNICEF.